TRAGIC ROY HAS SECRET STEM CELL SURGERY TO WALK AGAIN

Illusionist Roy Horn has been injected with stem cells from pig embryos in a desperate attempt to walk again. The Siegfried & Roy star has flown to a German clinic for the controversial treatment.

The National Enquirer has learned exclusively that the already fragile health of the performer — who was savagely mauled onstage by the white Siberian tiger Montecore at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas in 2003 — has recently taken a turn for the worse.

He and longtime partner Siegfried Fischbacher, 66, have hastened to the Leonardis Klinik in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps in their native Germany. Roy, 60, has been undergoing experimental stem cell therapy to restore damaged nerves and enhance self-healing which could result in him walking again.

A friend of the star said: "This is really Roy's last hope. He has made strides in his recovery but his inability to walk without help is his biggest frustration and heartache.

"Roy is still paralyzed on the left side of his body because of the accident. In the last few months his veins have started to collapse and his left arm and leg have lost muscle. He is making a last-ditch attempt before his body degenerates any more."

The friend said Roy told Siegfried: "I've got nothing to lose. How could I get any worse than I am now? I want the treatment and then I'd like to be blessed by the Pope."

For more on Roy's recovery, pick up this week's issue of the National Enquirer, on newsstands now.